An alternative bedspread for the canopy bed!!! This is made from a stenciled shirt, languishing in my closet, now put to good use again. The shirt was from the 1990's, maybe even the 1980's but the artist and her company are still going strong. You can see current work here https://www.facebook.com/DoorCountyStencilCompany?filter=2

... which made it a good day to go outside and look for gnomes.And I found one!!! She was standing very still, waiting to say hello to a birdie, so it wasn't too hard to get a photo. But very shortly after I took the two photos, both Ms. Gnome and Ms. Birdie disappeared into the woods.

Oddly enough, this gnome is the spitting image of Kylie, who has a Forever Friendz head on a Tonner body.

This wonderful felt gnome hat was a gift from Ren, in Australia. Ironically enough, I believe the designer of the mushroom fabric is also from Australia. The fabric (at the hem of the pinafore) is designed by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches, produced by Lecien Fabrics. Here is a link to her website http://cinderberrystitches.typepad.com/cinderberrystitches/inspiration/ (And another "thank you" goes out to Auntie Annie, who gave us the robin bird!)

"And now .... for something entirely different ...."

I call this picture "Gnome, gnome on the range!"(N.B. - No gnomes were harmed while taking this picture.)Enjoy. R.

Last fall I bought a canopy bed for the girls bedroom in Joe Pye Towers. It has taken me this long to get around to "fixing" it and making bed linens for it. But now it is done and here is Ann Estelle showing off her rendition of the "More the Merrier" Engelbreit illustration. Oh my, what a rodeo it was to get all those toys to stay put on the bed until I got the right picture!!!!

The fabric I used for the quilt is an older purchase than the bed frame - it is a design by Polly Ann Blythe for Camelot Cottons called "Kiki's Play Day".

I guess this fulfills my childhood desire for a canopy bed! Luckily it just barely clears the ceiling of the girls bedroom! Enjoy. R.

Here's another Patsy outfit that arrived at our house recently - very cute!! As you may remember from earlier, I have "issues" with the tight shoes being supplied with Patsy, so especially with double layers of hosiery (there is a "nude" pair of tights supplied to keep the burgundy pair from possible dye exchange on the doll body), there was no way I could get the burgundy shoes onto Ann Estelle's feet - but I like the outfit with this pair of boots. Buyers might also want to know that the cuff opening of the top is very small - I had a long "discussion" with the right sleeve to get it on over Ann Estelle's hand!!! Anyone know the secret (short of opening up the seam!) of getting these kinds of too-tight cuffs onto dolls???? (And yes, since Ann Estelle's head is bigger than Patsy's, she can't wear the hat that goes with the outfit.) R.

Jayne Bielak has posted a wonderful photo story of Ellowyne and Patsy going shopping together at the Tonner store on the TonnerDirect Facebook page. It is under "recent posts by others" - which shows up on the right side of the screen in my set-up, maybe not everyones set-up - but worth hunting for! https://www.facebook.com/TonnerDirect

Hopefully you are a member of Facebook and can see it there .... I don't know how to find out if Ms. Bielak may have posted it somewhere else so that one wouldn't have to "do" Facebook to see it. (You may sense that I'm a reluctant "member" of Facebook!!!)

Since Sophie was so helpful in gathering the measurements, she gets the honor of showing off the next new outfit.

This is a Mary Engelbreit fabric produced by Moda a couple of years ago. The overall pattern is one of my favorites from Pam D’Alessandro; you can see it in the slide show of "old" Gwennie photos three blog posts earlier and also often in the Firefly photos - I used it for Annie Laurie's antique uniform. Here is a link to Pam's website: http://blog.pamamom.com/ These overalls are in the "AE Basic Ensemble E-pattern", at the bottom of the list of ten inch patterns.I myself prefer to cut the full-length version 3/8" shorter than the pattern and I've also raised the armhole up a bit since my dolls seem to have the habit of wearing this without a blouse underneath it! What daring girls!!!Enjoy! R.

Gentle Reader,In looking through the list of things people are searching for when they find our website, "measurements" comes up now and again. So since we live to serve, we have added a new page with a bunch of what are hopefully helpful measurements. It is in the pull-down menu under "the Ann Estelle Story".[OK Sophie, I'll untie you now!] R.

Tonner's pink Patsy outfit has put me in a pink mood. Or maybe put me in a pink place? Anyway, here is a cutie pie dress I just made. Meanwhile, it's raining so much here that we may have to adjourn to the life boats and float down to Savannah, or the Mississippi, depending on what side of the Eastern Continental Divide we start on (we are pretty close to the line here.)Enjoy. R.